'Can we work on becoming happier?': NAMI Now

Already, your New Year’s resolutions may be weakening a bit. As managers of gyms know, New Year’s resolutions on average last for about 17 days. After that, the onrush of new members to health clubs seems to slowly die down.

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Instead of feeling guilty about not having followed through on this year’s and last year’s good intentions, I wanted to start the New Year off by sharing some of the findings of the "happiness" literature I occasionally peruse. This literature grew out of positive psychology, a more recent branch of psychology. Positive psychology tries to use scientific research to arrive at an understanding of the adaptive and emotionally fulfilling aspects of human behavior (thank you,Wikipedia).

Happiness can actually be measured quite reliably, and even though based entirely on subjective reports (asking question such as, “How would you rate your happiness today?”), high ratings are consistently correlated with key variables such as better health and longer life spans. Some countries have higher happiness ratings than others, but overall the U.S. does not fair badly, ranking 17th out of 156 countries. Even though Scandinavian countries have the highest happiness ratings , I am not about to trade my T-shirt for a winter coat to move to Norway.

The real question is, “Can we work on becoming happier?”

Twin studies, which basically follow identical twins reared apart, show that a lot of happiness is attributable to genetics. Researchers sometimes refer to this as your set point and some individuals naturally seem more cheerful or upbeat. In addition, there are circumstances that may change, but that we adapt to more or less (effects of moving into a more upscale neighborhood or of getting a divorce). We quickly return to or nearly return to the point of happiness prior to the change in circumstance.

However, there are certain decisions we make that can help us stay near the upper range of the above-mentioned set point. Studies show that engaging in new and varied activities will result in greater and sustained happiness ratings; being involved in altruistic activities clearly results in being more content; being connected to others is a key variable in sustained happiness; trying to balance out how you spend the 16 waking hours most of us have also helps and should represent a balance between work and play; and, individuals who describe themselves as religious report – on average – higher happiness ratings.

So, here are a few do’s and don’ts:

Join a club and try something new: Whether you take a swamp tour or take a cooking class makes no difference as long it is an activity you selected.

Stay connected to friends or seek out new relationships (no, confirming another friend on Facebook does not count as being connected).

There are many volunteer organizations that will open their door to you if you contact them.

Don’t worry about buying that new iPhone, or smart TV , and don’t spend so much time at the mall.

Don’t worry about getting older: Happiness ratings increase steadily until the last decade of life when physical illnesses do decrease happiness ratings.

There is nothing wrong with New Year’s resolutions – it just seems that they are usually couched in terms of "shoulds" as in “I should eat healthier” or “I should get more organized.” In contrast, "happiness resolutions" seem to focus more on something you want to achieve, as in “ I want to experience, I want to connect, I will try out something new”.

Dr. Kennon Sheldon, a noted happiness researcher, summarizes his findings as follows: Change what you do, not what you have.

For information about how to get help for you or a family member, contact the NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) St. Tammany at 985.626.6538 or go to namisttammany.org. Dr. George Schreiner is a psychologist and has served on the board of NAMI St. Tammany since 2011.